University of Vermont ScholarWorks @ UVM Graduate College Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses 2017 Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes in Vermont: Media Framing and Public Perception Benjamin Lloyd Crosby University of Vermont Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis Part of the Economics Commons, Mass Communication Commons, and the Nutrition Commons Recommended Citation Crosby, Benjamin Lloyd, "Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes in Vermont: Media Framing and Public Perception" (2017). Graduate College Dissertations and Theses. 696. https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/696 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations and Theses at ScholarWorks @ UVM. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate College Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ UVM. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGE TAXES IN VERMONT: MEDIA FRAMING AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION A Thesis Presented by Benjamin L. Crosby to The Faculty of the Graduate College of The University of Vermont In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science Specializing in Community Development and Applied Economics May, 2017 Defense Date: 11/11/2016 Thesis Examination Committee: Jane Kolodinsky, Ph.D., Advisor Jean Harvey, Ph.D., RD, Chairperson Richard Watts, Ph.D Cynthia J. Forehand, Ph.D., Dean of the Graduate College ABSTRACT This thesis explores the conversation surrounding the recent attempts by the Vermont Legislature to pass a Sugar-Sweetened Beverage tax in the years 2014-2016. We explore the common perceptions expressed by a sample of Vermont residents and also look at how Vermont media outlets portrayed the tax through frames of reference. Framing is a method of emphasizing certain points of an issue. This thesis reports the common opinions of Vermonters, the media framing of the issue, and if there is any relationship between them in two academic journal articles. The first article looks at the common frames used in Vermont media during the 2014-2016 period. Classifying 10 pro- and anti-tax frames from 30 common arguments, the article analyzes the use of these frames, their prevalence in different news outlets, and their frequency during time periods. The article also looks at sponsors of these frames and measures which frames individuals and organizations are sponsoring. The study finds that anti-tax advocates most often cite economic hindrances as a reason to oppose the tax and pro-tax advocates predominately cite health benefits and economic tax benefits as a reason to support the tax. In the final year, pro-tax advocates sponsored economic benefits more than any other frames and this argument coincided with the statewide discussion of a budget shortfall. The second article measures the relationship between the media portrayal of the Sugar-Sweetened Beverage tax and the opinions of Vermont citizens regarding the tax. By looking at the prevalence of pro- and anti-tax frames usage in each year, a logistic regression model was built to measure the odds of people favoring tax based off of independent variables, including frames. Vermont residents fluctuated in their opinion of the tax over the years. It was found that in 2015, pro-tax frames made people more likely to support the tax. Democrats were also more likely to support the tax and Republicans were more likely to oppose the tax. This thesis provides insight into the conversation surrounding Sugar-Sweetened Beverage taxes in Vermont. It helps to shed light on the issue, how different groups feel about the issue, and how frames of thought presented through the media can relate to Vermonters’ opinion of the tax. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to thank the members of my committee: Jane Kolodinsky, for providing me with motivation, insight, and guidance through every aspect of this thesis process; Richard Watts, for helping me to delve into the qualitative side of the thesis and who helped me better understand framing; and Jean Harvey, for providing health expertise and an important, outside perspective. Thank you all for being a fantastic and helpful committee. In addition to my committee, I would like to extend a thank you to the Community Development and Applied Economics Department. To the numerous faculty who have mentored me and shared their wisdom, and to the fantastic staff who have been the backbone to my graduate experience, I cannot thank you enough. The CDAE graduate students have also provided so much support. Thank you to Emily Portman, for coding a sample of my media articles and thank you to Samantha Lewandowski, for your timely, editing assistance. Finally, I would like to thank my family. To my wife, Gabrielle, who is the reason I applied and who never let me forget about finishing, thank you. And thank you to my parents and sisters, for providing me with the foundation to grow upon. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ ii LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. v LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... vi INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 COMPREHENSIVE LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................. 4 Obesity and Sugar-Sweetened Beverages ................................................................................... 4 Excise Taxes versus Sales Taxes ................................................................................................. 5 Legislative Options and Public Opinion ...................................................................................... 7 Framing in the Media ................................................................................................................ 15 Berkeley, CA Example .............................................................................................................. 18 Gaps in the Literature ................................................................................................................ 20 ARTICLE 1 ....................................................................................................................... 22 Media Coverage of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes in Vermont: A Case Study of Pro- and Anti- tax frames from 2013-2015. ....................................................... 22 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 22 Methods ..................................................................................................................................... 25 Results ....................................................................................................................................... 28 Over the Three Year Period .................................................................................................. 28 Media and Frame Usage ........................................................................................................ 32 Frames and Sponsors ............................................................................................................. 33 Discussion .................................................................................................................................. 34 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 36 Limitations ................................................................................................................................. 37 Article 1 References .................................................................................................................. 38 ARTICLE 2 ....................................................................................................................... 42 An Analysis of the Potential Relationship Between Citizen Support of Sugar- Sweetened Beverage (SSB) Legislations and Media Coverage in Vermont. ................... 42 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 42 Methods ..................................................................................................................................... 46 Data ....................................................................................................................................... 46 Variables ............................................................................................................................... 48 Analysis ................................................................................................................................. 49 Results ....................................................................................................................................... 50 Discussion .................................................................................................................................. 56 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 58 Limitations ................................................................................................................................